Enjoy a night out with art in Coconut Grove

By Melissa Nobles

Before the summer fun begins, Coconut Grove invites visitors to enjoy a night out with international art, hors d’oeuvres, friends and family. The Grove Gallery Walk, an event that takes place the first Saturday of each month, will continue May 5, from 7 to 10 p.m.

This month RodezArt.com Gallery, 3015 Grand Ave., Suite 237, will host the 24th annual exhibition by the National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill (NAEMI), an organization dedicated to collecting, displaying and selling art by persons in recovery from mental illness.

The exhibition features the works of artists from Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Spain and the United States. All 40 artworks featured in the exhibition will be available for sale with the proceeds benefiting the artists and NAEMI’s goals of helping artists from around the world.

Cristina Chacon Gallery, 3162 Commodore Plaza, Suite 1f2, will feature artist Alberto González Vivo’s exhibit titled “Formas/Shapes.” His work ranges from geometric abstraction to Op art, influenced by his research on the production of artists Luis Tomasello, Julio Le Parc, Victor Vasarely, Martha Boto and Eduardo Moisset de Espanés, a generative geometry artist and creator of the Centre for Plastic Mathematical Research of Argentina. The artist’s use of light combined with geometric shapes and smart colors adds balance to his work creating effects of great magnetism.

May’s featured artist for FrameWorks Gallery, 3196 Commodore Plaza, is fine art photographer Paul Marcellini. His photos capture the unspoiled scenes of wild Florida with breathtaking views of the Everglades. Through the end of May, Marcellini’s work also will be on display at the Everglades National Park Visitor’s Center. In the past, he has been featured at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Winter Park Side Walk Festival, Santa Fe College Arts Festival and Islamorada Fine Art Expo.

At Boswell Mourot Fine Art, 3162 Commodore Plaza, May’s exhibit will feature all of the current gallery’s artists. Boswell Mourot is solely a fine art gallery, selling original paintings, mixed media and sculptures by international, national and local artists for the established and emerging collector. Artists include Hans Feyerbend, Karen Deilke, John Allison and Diana Ashley.

At the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery, 339 Mayfair St., Suite 128, Meme Ferre will showcase her paintings for another month in her exhibition titled “Raw Energy/ Energía Cruda.” Ferre’s pieces combine colors of the Caribbean and the iconic mysticism of India. She also will conduct a live program titled “Art Attack” during the opening, where she will paint to music.

The Jim Hunter Gallery, 3390 Mary St. Suite 128, right next door will continue to feature Erika King’s retrospective collage collection, titled “Evolution of Spirit.” This exhibition displays iconic images of the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Statue of Liberty, Native Americans, angels and even Marilyn Monroe, through the use of familiar fragments of sheet music, stamps and torn foreign currency.

The Grove Gallery Walk is free to the public. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be made available at selected galleries, while live music can be found at some locations.

Art inspired events such as these are provided by partnering galleries and the Coconut Grove BID. The Coconut Grove BID exists to improve the quality and financial success of the Grove’s commercial core. It enhances Grove parking, lighting, sanitation, marketing, and safety, as well as supporting special events.

For more information on the Coconut Grove BID, or to see a map of participating galleries, visit <www.coconutgrove.com> or call 305-461-5506.